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Affiliate Programs
 You Can Join


 

Find an Affiliate Program

Once you have nailed down your passion, did your initial research, and developed a website, your next step will be to investigate and find an affiliate program or programs that fit your niche/website theme.

To find affiliate programs you can join, look first to an affiliate brokerage firm. The affiliate brokerage firm is free to join and they will have a full range of companies looking for affiliates to join their program.


Joining an Affiliate Brokerage Firm - How It Works?

This is how it works, first you join the affiliate network/brokerage firm, then you are free to apply for any of the affiliate programs that you feel will fit your niche or website theme. The Merchant will look at your site and give you a yes or no response if they want you to advertise for them.

Since you are a new site, don't get discouraged if some of the affiliate programs you apply for reject you --that will change as your website grows. In fact, as your website matures and grows, you may find some companies and or affiliate managers coming to you to ask if you will market their products.

Note: When you check out some of the affiliate brokerage firm, such as Clickbank, Commission Junction, LinkShare, etc., they will indicate whether they want you to have a website or not. Also, check out the rules:

  1. How many sales or what is the dollar amount that you will need before you receive a payout.
  2. Check out the commission structure of the affiliate program-preferably you would like to have a nice return for selling their product on your site. However, there may be cases when you want a product because it compliments your site and it's a genuine need for your customers.
Below is a list of some of the Affiliate Brokerage Services that brings the merchant and the affiliate together.

Affiliate Network/Brokerage Services To Join
For Revenue

Affiliate Network/ Brokerage companies offer a way in which affiliate marketers and merchants can find each other. And for the affiliate, to start their revenue making venture.

For Merchants, with affiliates selling your product you will gain greater Internet exposure of your products, as well as,  help you in your page ranking.  But don't make that your sole purpose. (If your product is not of quality, or if your customer service below par-trust me, you'll hear about it.) 

For Affiliates, the cost to join the below programs are free.  Here you will be able to choose the different products or services that meet your niche. In some instances merchants will except you instantly, in others, they will look at your website before approving you into the program. Will all merchants accept you? No. But don't get discouraged-that's really part of paying your dues in the beginning.

  • Commission Junction -- Good company to do business with.
  • ClickBank -- ClickBank is a great place to get started for those with and without a website. 
  • Clixgalore
  • Shareasale -- Before you can add products through Shareasale, they will verify your info.  May take a day or two.
  • LinkShare -- LinkShare offers quality companies to fit your business and website.  Take a look through the different companies.  Some companies give you immediate approval, other need to look at your site before deciding. (Note: some companies pay you monthly--without a minimum payout. 
  • OneNetworkDirect- Offers electronic products and digital software titles. 
Note: There is no cost to joining an affiliate program. If an affiliate program asks you to pay to join, quickly click away-no matter how enticing it may be!!


Stand-Alone Affiliate Programs

Stand alone affiliate programs are only as good and ethical as the business that is offering the affiliate program. Sounds like a rather cautious statement, right? Well, this is what I would suggest.
  • No matter, if it is within an affiliate program brokerage services or a stand-alone you need to do your due diligence.
  • Compare and contrast a stand-alone with a possible offering through an affiliate brokerage program. I found, in one instance, the commission and revenue turn-around for one of my programs I was going to partake in, was better through the brokerage firm then through the stand-alone program.
  • Getting paid- With a stand-alone you're relying solely on their business ethics. Thus, when payday comes, and you don't get paid-it's time to leave.

    Note: Affiliate Brokerage Firms do a better job at giving you a heads up if your affiliate program is not paying or is planning on leaving the brokerage firm.

 Choosing an Affiliate Program

Whether the affiliate program is associated with an affiliate brokerage firm or it is a standalone, you will quickly learn that some are good and some are not. What you need to do is research the company, and see what customers are saying about them.

When choosing an affiliate program keep the following thoughts in the forefront:
  1. Method of payment. - Check, Paypal, Direct Deposit
  2. Commission Structure - At what dollar amount do you have to reach before payout.
  3. What is the hold time for income earned
  4. Do your research- check out their reputation. If people are not being paid-it will be quickly revealed.
  5. How long have they been in business. If it has been less than 6 months-do your due diligence.
  6. Customer Service - do they take care of their customers, or ignore them after they buy the product.
  7. Does the affiliate program match your website theme - You will not see many clicks if you do not follow this rule.
  8. What is the affiliate program demographics, compared to your demographics. If they don't match you will not see many sales. Example: Your website is predominantly female but you put a product/affiliate program that is directed to the male. Will you get many sales? Probably not.


 What Are Cookies?

What are cookies? A cookie-specifically a "HTTP cookie" is a small piece of data that allows the service to identify individual users requesting web pages from a server.

The cookie is used in the following ways:
  • Identify user adding or removing items from shopping cart
  • Keep track of user preferences
  • Keep track of users behavior
This is how a cookie works. When an individual clicks on a link, it is the cookie that allows the server to associate the information between the server and the user. And this is how most affiliate programs keep track of who is hitting your site.

If you look within your affiliate program, you will notice how long a cookie will last. The length of the cookie can be as little as 2 days to as long as 45+ days.


Rules for Affiliate Marketing

When you join an affiliate program, you will be asked to review their affiliate program policy. It is wise to take a close look at what you can and cannot do. For those new to affiliate marketing you should be aware of some rules that is prominent with all programs:

  1. No Spamming. Which means, sending unsolicited email in any form. This can get you quickly removed from the program.  I would also include spim-which is sending spam to IM addresses.
  2. Know their rules for marketing through Adwords or other Search Marketing avenues. Some typical rules are, not overbidding on their keywords, not using their name in the ad, words that can be bid on or cannot be used. Sometimes, they request that you put a negative words in your campaign-which usually is the name of their product or service or company.

Next: Create Your Own Ebook   





Additional Reading....

Affiliate Program Scams and Other Issues


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